Chief Election Commissioner
Context:
Recently, the Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner after a meeting of a three-member committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
Relevance:
GS-02 (Indian Polity—Constitutional bodies)
Election Commission of India:
- The ECI was established on 25th January, 1950 (National Voters’ Day).
- It is a constitutional body that administers Union (Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha) and State elections (State Legislative Assemblies, State Legislative Councils) in India.
- It also administers the elections for the offices of President and Vice-President. However, elections to Panchayats and Municipalities is under the State Election Commission.
- The Election Commission draws authority from the Constitution as per Article 324 and the Representation of the People Act.
Structure of ECI:
- Initially, the commission had only one election commissioner.
- The enactment of the Election Commissioner Amendment Act in 1989 turned the commission into a multi-member body: a 3-member commission.
- It is composed of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and any additional election commissioners appointed by the President as deemed necessary.
- Currently, the commission is constituted by the CEC alongside two Election Commissioners (ECs).
- At the state level, the election commission receives assistance from the Chief Electoral Officer.
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